Zipcar Fails to Accelerate

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which industrials editor/analyst Isaac Pino and research analyst Lyons George discuss topics across the investing world.

In today's edition, Isaac and Lyons look at a growth company that's not quite hitting on all cylinders -- Zipcar. An avid user of Zipcar, Isaac follows the trends in the car-sharing market closely and believes Zipcar has the best overall business model. Yet after it announced first-quarter earnings, the company received a rude awakening from the markets. Zipcar's stock was off more than 10% on the day due to only modest growth and a slightly revised profit outlook. The three major concerns in Isaac's eyes are not-so-impressive growth in core cities, potentially only one new European city launch in 2012, and the entrance of a barrage of competitors, including Daimler's car2go service. If Zipcar can maintain a high retention rate, currently around 98%, the company's brand will remain the best in this growing industry. Watch this metric closely going forward.

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